The Way We Are
by MelindaCasey
Summary: A brother & sister with a love/hate relationship. One-Shot, Nathan/Brooke.


There she sat, lounged in the passenger seat with her bare feet up on the dashboard, the window rolled down and her brown hair blowing from the wind of the country highway. A cigarette was lit in her mouth, as she blew the nicotine smoke out of her mouth and into the air.

He sat next to her, rolling his eyes, with one hand on the steering wheel the other hanging out the open window.

It was day 7 of their road trip and it was time to go home, 5 different cities and 3,000 miles later.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to smoke in my car?" Nathan asked looking at his sister.

Brooke looked to her brother with a straight face and blew a whiff of smoke his way before turning her head back to the open window.

"Are you gonna ignore me the whole way home?"

Brooke still didn't speak; she puffed away on her cigarette staring out the window avoiding the looks of her brother.

Nathan turned his glance back to the open road before he slammed his foot on the breaks, making the car skid across the old highway before coming to a sudden stop.

Brooke's feet dropped to the ground as the rest of her body flew forward and her head smashed into the dashboard.

"What the fuck Nathan!" Brooke screamed placing her hand on her head as she turned to her brother with anger; she hated it when he did this.

"First off your gonna get this shit out of my car.." Nathan cried as he pulled the cigarette out of Brooke's hand and threw it out the window. "And now you're gonna quit being a brat and talk to me!"

"I have nothing to say to you!"

"I'm just looking out for you Brooke."

"You gotta stop doing this Nate… I'm not 12 anymore, would you just let me live my life!"

"He was just trying to take advantage of you Brooke… why can't you just open your eyes and see that!"

Brooke sat back in the seat and just crossed her arms. "So what.."

"You are so fucking stupid sometimes you know that!"

"And I wish you weren't my brother sometimes!"

"Fine.." Nathan said sitting back. "Get out!"

"What?" Brooke asked looking at Nathan.

"Get out! You can walk your ass home then!"

"Fine! I don't need you anyways.." Brooke said getting out of the car and kicking the door shut.

"Oh real mature Brooke.. You can find some loser who will drive your ass home." Nathan shouted to her.

Brooke just rolled her eyes as she began walking away from the car in the other direction and Nathan drove off.

Brooke walked along the deserted highway as she watched her brother's car go further and further from her sight. She wasn't scared, this wasn't the first time he had did this to her. She kicked some of the gravel on the road as she stood in the roaring heat, there wasn't a car in sight, and there was hardly even a noise to be heard.

Brooke walked a little and counted the minutes in her head, as soon as she reached around 10 she looked up to see a car approaching her, slowly slowing down as it got closer to her. The car pulled up right next to her and stopped.

"Get in Brooke." Nathan said with his head still looking forward with his eyes narrowed down.

Brooke rolled her eyes as she got back into the car and sat down with her arms crossed. "You know… one of these times why don't you just seriously leave me."

"You mean like every other guy in your life." Nathan snapped back as he started driving again.

"Fuck off Nate." Brooke scoffed at him.

"You seriously are a pain in my ass." Nathan said shaking his head.

"And you're a bigger pain in mine."

"Slut."

"Queeerbag." Brooke replied glancing at her brother.

Nathan looked to Brooke with a small smile.

Brooke smiled back as they both let out a small laugh.

-A Few Hours Later-

It was still another couple hours till home, it was getting dark and the twins were getting tired, not just tired of being in the same car with one another but just tired in general.

Brooke ran her fingers through her long brown hair pushing it out of her face before she leaned forward and changed the station on the radio.

Not long after she changed the station, Nathan leaned forward and changed it back.

Brooke instantly changed it back.

"Brooke I'm not listening to your fagilicious shit." Nathan said changing the dial.

"Common Nate.. I'm tired of listening to your shit, we always have to listen to what you want."

"Well it's my car."

"So! Even in MY car you make me listen to your music!"

"Well you listen to crap!"

"YOU listen to crap!" Brooke cried changing the station.

"Brooke, stop it!" Nathan cried changing it back.

"You stop it!" Brooke cried hitting her brother in the arm.

"Don't hit me!" Nathan cried backhanding Brooke in the arm.

"Asshole!" Brooke screamed punching his arm.

"Bitch!" Nathan cried hitting her arm again.

"Cut it out!" Brooke screamed as she pulled out her pack of cigarettes and put one in her mouth about to light it.

"I said no fucking smoking in my car!" Nathan screamed as he pulled the cigarette out of Brooke's mouth and grabbed the full pack and threw it out the window.

"What the hell Nathan! I just bought that pack!"

"Well now it's gone!"

"Dickhead!" Brooke screamed as she picked up Nathan's cell phone that was sitting in the middle cup holder and threw it out the window.

"What the fuck Brooke!" Nathan screamed as he slammed on the breaks just like last time.

Brooke once again flew forward in the seat banging her head on the dashboard. "NATHAN!"

"Go get my fucking phone!" Nathan screamed at his sister.

"Go get my cigarettes!"

"I fucking hate you!" Nathan screamed getting out of the car and looking around for his phone.

"You hate me? I can't even fucking stand you anymore!" Brooke screamed getting out of the car and walking towards him.

"You are fucking psychotic!"

"Oh I'm psychotic? You wanna see psychotic?" Brooke screamed walking back over to the car and opening the backseat door and pulling out Nathan's bag, she unzipped it and turned it upside down and started to shake his clothes out all over the highway.

"You did not just do that!" Nathan screamed pointing his finger at her.

"I did!" Brooke said dropping his bag and placing his hand on her hips.

Nathan bolted to the car and jumped across the front seat to grab Brooke's purse.

"Put that back Nate!"

"You gonna make me?" Nathan asked holding it up in the air.

"You're so dead!" Brooke screamed charging at her brother as Nathan threw her purse up in the air and it came crashing down to the ground with items flying out of it.

Just as Brooke's purse hit the ground so did Nathan and Brooke, wresting around in the middle of the now dark, open highway with nothing but the muffled headlights of the car shining on them.

The two wrestled around for a few minutes before the two got to their feet and Brooke pulled away with a ripped shirt.

"You ripped my shirt you dick!"

"What do you care? You're used to taking off your clothes!"

"Oh fuck you!"

"I'm your brother, that's just sick and twisted Brooke!" Nathan screamed as he backed up a little so he was more off the road.

"I am going to rip your fucking face off!" Brooke screamed as she headed towards Nathan.

At that point the two raged siblings looked over to see a car approaching and it was coming fast.

"Brooke, look out!" Nathan screamed with fear in his voice as the horn on the oncoming car was laid down and for that split moment Nathan ducked out of the way hoping to everything that his sister moved out of the way in time for that car to come rushing past them.

When the car was instantly out of sight Nathan jumped to his feet and ran across the road to find his sister in a ducked position covering her head.

He knelt down beside her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

Brooke removed her arms from her head and looked into the eyes of her brother as she stood to her feet and he joined her.

"Let's just go home." Brooke's voice was a bit shaky as she headed for the passenger seat of the car.

Suddenly everything that was scattered out on the road, all their belongings did not seem important, the two left everything that was thrown out and got into the car in silence.

Little things like clothes, cell phones, make-up, purses could all be replaced but the life of a human being so important as your family could never be replaced by an 70mph speeding car.

The two drove in silence for what seemed like ever, it had only been 15 minutes but to them it seemed like a lifetime.

It was not long after that when Nathan pulled out a cigarette from behind his ear and put it in his mouth and turned to his sister. "Got a light?"

Brooke looked to her brother and suddenly felt closer to him at that moment then she had in the past 7 days. She picked up the lighter that was sitting in a cup holder and lit the flame in front of the cigarette sticking out of Nathan's mouth.

Nathan took a long puff before handing the lit cigarette to his sister.

Brooke took the cigarette into her own hands and put it up to her lips. "Queerbag."

"Slut." Nathan responded with his eyes still on the road ahead of him.

The two looked at each other and putting aside their high egos they let out a smile and just laughed.

With his left hand on the wheel, Nathan took his free right arm and placed it around the shoulders of his sister pulling her close.

Brooke put her feet up on the seat as she scooted closer to her brother and rested her head on his shoulder.

Through thick and thin that was just the way they were….


End file.
